बेवक़ूफ़ (bevqoof)

adjective/noun A common everyday word meaning 'foolish, stupid' (adjective) or 'a fool, idiot' (noun), used the same way in casual scolding or teasing.

Sense 1 : foolish, stupid, silly

adjective

Synonyms: मूर्ख (moorkh, formal), बुद्धू (buddhoo), उल्लू (ulloo, colloquial, 'owl' used figuratively), नासमझ (naasmajh)

Frequency: high

Cultural Note: This is a classic Hindi-Urdu hybrid word (बे- + वक़ूफ़ (vaqoof, 'sense, understanding')), literally 'without sense.' You'll hear it constantly in Delhi households, said half-exasperated, half-affectionate, like a mother telling her son अरे बेवक़ूफ़ (are bevqoof, 'oh you fool') when he forgets his tiffin.

Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often forget this adjective is invariant -- it does not change form for masculine/feminine or singular/plural, unlike native आ-ending adjectives such as अच्छा (achchhaa). 2) It can sting more than English 'silly' in some contexts, especially said sharply to a stranger or elder -- among friends and family it is usually light and teasing.

Sample Sentences:

अरे बेवक़ूफ़, तूने अपना टिफ़िन फिर भूल दिया। Oh you fool, you forgot your tiffin again.

(are bevqoof, toone apnaa tifin phir bhool diyaa।)

वह इतना बेवक़ूफ़ है कि हर बार वही ग़लती करता है। He's so stupid that he makes the same mistake every time.

(vah itnaa bevqoof hai ki har baar vahii ghaltii kartaa hai।)

इतनी बेवक़ूफ़ बात मत करो, प्लीज़। Don't say such a stupid thing, please.

(itnii bevqoof baat mat karo, pliiz।)

अगर वह इतना बेवक़ूफ़ न होता, तो सारा पैसा नहीं खो देता। If he weren't so stupid, he wouldn't have lost all the money.

(agar vah itnaa bevqoof n hotaa, to saaraa paisaa nahiin kho detaa।)

मुझे नहीं लगता कि वह वाक़ई बेवक़ूफ़ है, बस थोड़ा लापरवाह है। I don't think he's actually stupid, he's just a bit careless.

(mujhe nahiin lagtaa ki vah vaaqaii bevqoof hai, bas thodaa laaparvaah hai।)

शायद यह फ़ैसला बेवक़ूफ़ाना नहीं, बल्कि थोड़ा जल्दी लिया गया था। Maybe this decision wasn't foolish, just a bit hasty.

(shaayad yah faislaa bevqoofaanaa nahiin, balki thodaa jaldii liyaa gayaa thaa।)

कभी-कभी मैं भी ऐसी बेवक़ूफ़ बातें बोल देती हूँ। Sometimes I say such stupid things too.

(kabhii-kabhii main bhii aisii bevqoof baaten bol detii hoon।)

यह सुझाव उन्हें बेहद बेवक़ूफ़ाना लगा। This suggestion seemed extremely foolish to them.

(yah sujhaav unhen behad bevqoofaanaa lagaa।)

अगर मैं इतना बेवक़ूफ़ रहा होता, तो कब का बर्बाद हो गया होता। If I had been that stupid, I would have been ruined long ago.

(agar main itnaa bevqoof rahaa hotaa, to kab kaa barbaad ho gayaa hotaa।)

उसकी बेवक़ूफ़ हरकतों की वजह से पूरी टीम शर्मिंदा हुई। Because of his stupid antics, the whole team was embarrassed.

(uskii bevqoof harakton kii vajah se poorii tiim sharmindaa huii।)

क्या तुम सच में इतने बेवक़ूफ़ हो कि यह भी नहीं समझते? Are you really so stupid that you don't even understand this?

(kyaa tum sach men itne bevqoof ho ki yah bhii nahiin samajhte?)

Sense 2 : a fool, an idiot

noun, masculine/feminine Same invariant form as the adjective; functions as a noun when used with articles/quantifiers like एक बेवक़ूफ़ (ek bevqoof, 'a fool') or as a direct address.

Synonyms: मूर्ख (moorkh, formal), बुद्धू (buddhoo), उल्लू का पट्ठा (ulloo kaa patthaa, colloquial idiom, 'son of an owl')

Frequency: high

Cultural Note: Calling someone बेवक़ूफ़ (bevqoof) as a noun (rather than describing them with it) feels a bit more direct and personal, like English 'you fool' versus 'that's foolish.' It's a staple of Bollywood banter and everyday sibling arguments alike.

Common Mistakes: 1) As a noun of variable gender it takes m/f agreement from context (वह बेवक़ूफ़ है (vah bevqoof hai, 'he/she is a fool')) rather than changing its own form -- learners sometimes try to feminize the word itself, which is incorrect.

Sample Sentences:

तुम बेवक़ूफ़ हो! You're a fool!

(tum bevqoof ho!)

वह कोई बेवक़ूफ़ नहीं है, बहुत होशियार है। He's not some fool, he's very clever.

(vah koii bevqoof nahiin hai, bahut hoshiyaar hai।)

मैं इतना बड़ा बेवक़ूफ़ कैसे बन गया? How did I become such a huge fool?

(main itnaa badaa bevqoof kaise ban gayaa?)

उस बेवक़ूफ़ ने सारा पैसा जुए में उड़ा दिया। That fool blew all his money on gambling.

(us bevqoof ne saaraa paisaa jue men udaa diyaa।)

अरे बेवक़ूफ़, दरवाज़ा बंद करना भूल गया क्या? Hey fool, did you forget to lock the door?

(are bevqoof, darvaazaa band karnaa bhool gayaa kyaa?)

अगर वह बेवक़ूफ़ होता तो इतनी बड़ी कंपनी नहीं बना पाता। If he were a fool, he couldn't have built such a big company.

(agar vah bevqoof hotaa to itnii badii kampnii nahiin banaa paataa।)

मुझे बेवक़ूफ़ मत समझो। Don't take me for a fool.

(mujhe bevqoof mat samjho।)

क्या तुम मुझे बेवक़ूफ़ बना रहे हो? Are you trying to make a fool of me?

(kyaa tum mujhe bevqoof banaa rahe ho?)

हर कोई उसे बेवक़ूफ़ समझता है, पर वह चालाक है। Everyone thinks he's a fool, but he's cunning.

(har koii use bevqoof samajhtaa hai, par vah chaalaak hai।)

ऐसे मौके पर चुप रहने वाला बेवक़ूफ़ ही होगा। Only a fool would stay quiet at a moment like this.

(aise mauke par chup rahne vaalaa bevqoof hii hogaa।)

मैडम, माफ़ कीजिए, मैं बेवक़ूफ़ की तरह पेश आया। Madam, please excuse me, I behaved like a fool.

(maidam, maaf kiijie, main bevqoof kii tarah pesh aayaa।)

फ़िल्म में हीरो हर बार विलेन को बेवक़ूफ़ बना देता है। In the film, the hero makes a fool of the villain every single time.

(film men hiiro har baar vilen ko bevqoof banaa detaa hai।)

Morphology

Adjective (invariant)

invariant: बेवक़ूफ़ (bevqoof)

Noun

(sg.m/f.direct): बेवक़ूफ़ (bevqoof)

(sg.m/f.oblique): बेवक़ूफ़ (bevqoof)

(pl.m/f.direct): बेवक़ूफ़ें (bevqoofen)

(pl.m/f.oblique): बेवक़ूफ़ों (bevqoofon)